Horse keeping

Horses can be wonderful animals to share your experiences of the natural world with. Here are few tips for low-impact riding in the watershed:

• Stay on existing trails, even when muddy. Going around the mud only creates a larger area devoid of vegetation and further compacts the soil. Creating a new trail can destroy native vegetation and weaken slopes, leading to erosion and possible landslides.

• Use designated entry points for entering private and public land. Hundreds of “private” entrances to public parklands create a significant impact on native vegetation and wildlife patterns.

Whether you board your horse or keep it yourself, it is important to be aware of the potential impacts horses can have on the watershed. Cleared, compacted areas such as corrals and riding rings can contribute excess soil and sediment to nearby streams, while horse wastes can contribute nutrients and bacteria to waterways. These impacts can result in water quality impairments throughout the entire watershed, including landslides, loss of marine/estuary habitat and beach closures.

Horse keepers know how to take care of their horses. The following ideas will help care for the watershed as well:

• After it rains, evaluate the flow of water on your property. Does water drain from the manure pile? Is it pooling in certain areas? Is water running into the creek? Any of these situations can potentially create pollution in our waterways. Always control runoff from your facility, whether it’s home to one horse or many.

• If water, sand, dirt, bedding or manure is traveling off-site, look to the source. Can manure and used bedding be stored elsewhere? Are they properly covered and maintained? Can the water be diverted to a vegetated, sand or gravel “filter”?

• For small facilities, try composting manure. Composting can help manage the waste load, save pick-up fees and create safe/bacteria-free fertilizer.

• Follow all local, state and federal rules and regulations pertaining to building codes, stream setbacks, stream alteration, landscaping and manure management.

• Create vegetative buffers around nearby streams, lakes, wetlands and ponds so they can filter out soil and nutrients before they enter the waterways.

Horse Keeping Resources

• Bay Area Barns and Trails
  

415-383-6283

www.bayareabarnsandtrails.org

• Alameda Resource Conservation District Horse Keeping Fact Sheets
  

http://www.acrcd.org/publications.html